Suzanne Pilaar Birch
@suziebirch.bsky.social
Associate Prof in Anthropology and Geography at UGA. Co-founder of TrowelBlazers and Open Quaternary. Climate change, environmental adaptation, & archaeological science.
Several years ago I consulted on research design for a tv program being developed by a small production company and was set to be involved in filming. Then BBC came in as a co-producer and I was uninvited because I wasn't British. So, I have a grudge.
November 11, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Several years ago I consulted on research design for a tv program being developed by a small production company and was set to be involved in filming. Then BBC came in as a co-producer and I was uninvited because I wasn't British. So, I have a grudge.
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
Students & researchers have a tough time keeping the names of Roman emperors and elites straight. But we do have a database to help name and number each. It is called the Prospographia Imperii Romani (=PIR) and has 15061 persons, of which 1932 are women. Please use the database! pir.bbaw.de#/search
Prosopographia Imperii Romani
pir.bbaw.de
November 10, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Students & researchers have a tough time keeping the names of Roman emperors and elites straight. But we do have a database to help name and number each. It is called the Prospographia Imperii Romani (=PIR) and has 15061 persons, of which 1932 are women. Please use the database! pir.bbaw.de#/search
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
In case anyone is wondering if Watson was really THAT bad, @lpachter.bsky.social compiled a list of quotes that are absolutely not for the faint of heart.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
November 7, 2025 at 10:18 PM
In case anyone is wondering if Watson was really THAT bad, @lpachter.bsky.social compiled a list of quotes that are absolutely not for the faint of heart.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
We are hiring at UGA Anthropology!
www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/457...
www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/457...
Assistant or Associate Professor in Genomics, Epigenetics, and Biomes
The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia (UGA) invites applications for an open faculty position to begin August 1, 2026, for a scientist who can contribute to the domain...
www.ugajobsearch.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:14 PM
We are hiring at UGA Anthropology!
www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/457...
www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/457...
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
I talked to Nature Methods about fieldwork and @trowelblazers.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41... -- never say no to two many chandeliers, hey
When fieldwork calls your name - Nature Methods
These scientists prefer digging in the hot sun or hauling in ocean data in the sub-zero cold.
www.nature.com
October 31, 2025 at 10:07 AM
I talked to Nature Methods about fieldwork and @trowelblazers.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41... -- never say no to two many chandeliers, hey
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
Back in the days of Limewire and Torrents "intellectual property" was everything — we were told that downloading was stealing, and people were prosecuted.
Then LLMs come along, & now the billionaires want us to believe that intellectual property, as a concept, never existed. 🤷♀️
This is great news ⬇️
Then LLMs come along, & now the billionaires want us to believe that intellectual property, as a concept, never existed. 🤷♀️
This is great news ⬇️
Judge rules George R.R. Martin and other authors can sue OpenAI for copyright infringement
• Said ChatGPT generated 'Game of Thrones' content similar enough to infringe copyright
• OpenAI’s motion to dismiss was denied
• Said ChatGPT generated 'Game of Thrones' content similar enough to infringe copyright
• OpenAI’s motion to dismiss was denied
October 30, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Back in the days of Limewire and Torrents "intellectual property" was everything — we were told that downloading was stealing, and people were prosecuted.
Then LLMs come along, & now the billionaires want us to believe that intellectual property, as a concept, never existed. 🤷♀️
This is great news ⬇️
Then LLMs come along, & now the billionaires want us to believe that intellectual property, as a concept, never existed. 🤷♀️
This is great news ⬇️
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
The Community Archaeology Radiocarbon Dating (CARD) Fund is now open for applications. ⏳
Funded by Archaeological Research Services Ltd and the SUERC Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, the fund covers the full cost of radiocarbon dating for community projects across the UK.👉
Funded by Archaeological Research Services Ltd and the SUERC Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, the fund covers the full cost of radiocarbon dating for community projects across the UK.👉
Community Archaeology Radiocarbon Dating (CARD) Fund
www.cardfund.org
October 29, 2025 at 10:01 AM
The Community Archaeology Radiocarbon Dating (CARD) Fund is now open for applications. ⏳
Funded by Archaeological Research Services Ltd and the SUERC Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, the fund covers the full cost of radiocarbon dating for community projects across the UK.👉
Funded by Archaeological Research Services Ltd and the SUERC Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, the fund covers the full cost of radiocarbon dating for community projects across the UK.👉
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
Excited to announce that @flintdibble.bsky.social & I are planning something fun on FEASTING THROUGH TIME for the Dec 9th Cardiff edition of @robinince.bsky.social 's #NineLessons - a festive science variety show, for charity!
Book here:
www.glee.co.uk/performer/ni...
Book here:
www.glee.co.uk/performer/ni...
October 29, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Excited to announce that @flintdibble.bsky.social & I are planning something fun on FEASTING THROUGH TIME for the Dec 9th Cardiff edition of @robinince.bsky.social 's #NineLessons - a festive science variety show, for charity!
Book here:
www.glee.co.uk/performer/ni...
Book here:
www.glee.co.uk/performer/ni...
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
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October 29, 2025 at 4:00 PM
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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
Read the Dryad community update for the latest advances in Dryad data curation, publication, and preservation.
blog.datadryad.org/2025/10/29/d...
#opendata #openacces #openscience #data #datapublishing #datacuration #scisky
blog.datadryad.org/2025/10/29/d...
#opendata #openacces #openscience #data #datapublishing #datacuration #scisky
Dryad community update: October 2025 highlights | Dryad news
We’re excited to share the latest news from Dryad with you. Learn about advances in data curation, publication, and preservation
blog.datadryad.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Read the Dryad community update for the latest advances in Dryad data curation, publication, and preservation.
blog.datadryad.org/2025/10/29/d...
#opendata #openacces #openscience #data #datapublishing #datacuration #scisky
blog.datadryad.org/2025/10/29/d...
#opendata #openacces #openscience #data #datapublishing #datacuration #scisky
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
Got kids aged 8+? Get them my latest book! It's a chaotic rollercoaster ride through the Stone Age -- it's tonnes of fun, full of the latest scientific discoveries, is cowritten with the expert archaeologist @brennawalks.bsky.social, and is illustrated by @rikinparekh.bsky.social. Cheers!
October 28, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Got kids aged 8+? Get them my latest book! It's a chaotic rollercoaster ride through the Stone Age -- it's tonnes of fun, full of the latest scientific discoveries, is cowritten with the expert archaeologist @brennawalks.bsky.social, and is illustrated by @rikinparekh.bsky.social. Cheers!
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
And today I learned that in 1962 the BBC let Jaquetta Hawkes imagine the archaeology of apocalyptic Britain. As a short film 👀10/10 Will weird your day youtu.be/c8yEIe69M4k?...
1962: What Was Britain Like Before the Apocalypse? | Monitor: The Lonely Shore | BBC Archive
YouTube video by BBC Archive
youtu.be
October 26, 2025 at 8:34 AM
And today I learned that in 1962 the BBC let Jaquetta Hawkes imagine the archaeology of apocalyptic Britain. As a short film 👀10/10 Will weird your day youtu.be/c8yEIe69M4k?...
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
Molecules are very very small.
By a fun coincidence, the estimated total number of observable stars in the Universe is about a mole (1E23)
But 1 mole of water molecules is about 1 tablespoon, 18 mL.
So, there are more molecules in a tablespoon of water than all the (observable) stars in the Universe!
Happy Mole Day 2025!
But 1 mole of water molecules is about 1 tablespoon, 18 mL.
So, there are more molecules in a tablespoon of water than all the (observable) stars in the Universe!
Happy Mole Day 2025!
Happy Mole Day, 10/23.
Your science history fact for the day: Avogadro's constant was coined by physicist Jean Perrin (shown) who defined it as the number of molecules in 16 grams of oxygen & proposed it be named after Amedeo Avogadro, who had died 4 years previously.
Your science history fact for the day: Avogadro's constant was coined by physicist Jean Perrin (shown) who defined it as the number of molecules in 16 grams of oxygen & proposed it be named after Amedeo Avogadro, who had died 4 years previously.
October 23, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Molecules are very very small.
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
New Collection Study Grants for students and postdocs to come visit the @burkemuseum.bsky.social! Applications due 12/15/25. www.burkemuseum.org/collections-...
Collections Study Grants
Collections study grants provide financial assistance for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers to study the collections of the University of Washington Burke Museum (UWBM).
www.burkemuseum.org
October 22, 2025 at 11:21 PM
New Collection Study Grants for students and postdocs to come visit the @burkemuseum.bsky.social! Applications due 12/15/25. www.burkemuseum.org/collections-...
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
I've received an 'exclusive' invite to try Nature's new 'research assistant', which will burn down a forest to provide a 'summary of the paper' I'm reading and I have SUCH exciting news for them, that's called an 'abstract' and the actual authors already wrote it for me, no forest-burning required.
October 17, 2025 at 2:10 PM
I've received an 'exclusive' invite to try Nature's new 'research assistant', which will burn down a forest to provide a 'summary of the paper' I'm reading and I have SUCH exciting news for them, that's called an 'abstract' and the actual authors already wrote it for me, no forest-burning required.
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
Check out this incredible hand skeleton from one of our weirdest extinct cousins, Australopithecus (or Paranthropus) boisei, just published by @carriemongle.bsky.social and colleagues #FossilFriday
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
October 17, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Check out this incredible hand skeleton from one of our weirdest extinct cousins, Australopithecus (or Paranthropus) boisei, just published by @carriemongle.bsky.social and colleagues #FossilFriday
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
The AI-induced fall of the em-dash is more than a metaphor
October 17, 2025 at 2:19 PM
The AI-induced fall of the em-dash is more than a metaphor
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
Was a real pleasure and honor to chat with @drshepherd2013.bsky.social for his iconic WxGeeks podcast. Enjoyed talking about NWS history and evolution, as well as the current and future state of weather communication. Give it a listen!
spotify.link/3b6ysRbavXb
spotify.link/3b6ysRbavXb
Balanced Weather: Cutting Through the Storm of Misinformation
spotify.link
October 16, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Was a real pleasure and honor to chat with @drshepherd2013.bsky.social for his iconic WxGeeks podcast. Enjoyed talking about NWS history and evolution, as well as the current and future state of weather communication. Give it a listen!
spotify.link/3b6ysRbavXb
spotify.link/3b6ysRbavXb
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
wikipedia's data shows that AI is siphoning traffic away from the site, which is a danger to its sustainability. ironically Wikipedia is more important than ever to users who want reliable information instead of slop, and to AI companies that need it for training data www.404media.co/wikipedia-sa...
Wikipedia Says AI Is Causing a Dangerous Decline in Human Visitors
“With fewer visits to Wikipedia, fewer volunteers may grow and enrich the content, and fewer individual donors may support this work.”
www.404media.co
October 17, 2025 at 1:15 AM
wikipedia's data shows that AI is siphoning traffic away from the site, which is a danger to its sustainability. ironically Wikipedia is more important than ever to users who want reliable information instead of slop, and to AI companies that need it for training data www.404media.co/wikipedia-sa...
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
Palaeo jobs alert!! General manager and curator of Dinosaur Isle Museum!! Dinosaur Isle houses the most important dinosaur collection in the UK outside of the national collection. It would be *really fantastic* to get a palaeontologist into this role: www.iow.gov.uk/jobs/detail/...
Job description: General Manager & Curator - Dinosaur Isle
The Isle of Wight Council - The best place to find local government services and information
www.iow.gov.uk
October 17, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Palaeo jobs alert!! General manager and curator of Dinosaur Isle Museum!! Dinosaur Isle houses the most important dinosaur collection in the UK outside of the national collection. It would be *really fantastic* to get a palaeontologist into this role: www.iow.gov.uk/jobs/detail/...
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
Can't get enough of Pal(a)eoscience? Pal(a)eoPERCS is looking for new committee members! If you are interested in joining our For-Early-Career, By-Early-Career Pal(a)eo-Community, please find any details in, and apply through the following link until November 10, 2025: forms.gle/xVdiNnSFma8z...
forms.gle
October 16, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Can't get enough of Pal(a)eoscience? Pal(a)eoPERCS is looking for new committee members! If you are interested in joining our For-Early-Career, By-Early-Career Pal(a)eo-Community, please find any details in, and apply through the following link until November 10, 2025: forms.gle/xVdiNnSFma8z...
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
US Academia Be Like
October 16, 2025 at 6:38 PM
US Academia Be Like
Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch
Lecturer in anatomical science
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPB348/l...
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPB348/l...
Lecturer in Anatomical Science (T&S) - UOD2019 at University of Dundee
Discover an exciting academic career path as a Lecturer in Anatomical Science (T&S) - UOD2019 at jobs.ac.uk. Don't miss out on this job opportunity - apply today!
www.jobs.ac.uk
October 16, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Lecturer in anatomical science
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPB348/l...
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPB348/l...